HSL102, one of two historic World War II rescue boats owned by Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust (PNBPT), is to be given a new lease of life with the installation of new engines.

HSL102, a former air-sea rescue launch is to get new engines Pic - PNBPT

The former air-sea rescue launch, which saved the lives of many downed pilots during the Battle of Britain, was acquired in 2009 with the aid of a £580,000 grant from the National Heritage Memorial Fund.

She had been used for target towing and latterly as a houseboat.

It was built by the British Power Boat Company at Hythe in 1936.

HSL 102 was designed by Fred Cooper, who also designed Sir Malcolm Campbell’s Bluebirds.

It is one of only twenty two 100-Class High Speed Launches which were used by the RAF to rescue World War II airmen from the seas.

HSL 102 is known to have operated from Blyth in the north-east and also from Newhaven on the south coast.

Improved fuel consumption

With support from Gunwharf Quays Marina, PNBPT has carried out extensive work to enable her to be used for public use, but she now needs new engines.

The work will be carried out by Mermaid Marine of Poole. They will supply and fit the engines, refit the boat’s drive train, and other associated works.

According to PNBPT this should improve HSL102’s reliability, fuel consumption and emissions.

Peter Goodship, Chief Executive of PNBPT, said: ‘In these challenging times it is never easy to commit large sums of money, especially when they are un-budgeted. However, HSL102 is a truly unique boat which we hold in trust for the nation.

“The Trustees wished to see her remain afloat and operational for the benefit, enjoyment and use of future generations”.

It is anticipated that HSL102 will re-enter service in the spring of 2012.

More information

BBC News – http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/8505534.stm

HSL 102 history  - http://www.bmpt.co.uk/forum_posts.asp?TID=749

Coastal Motorboat Heritage Trust – HSL 102

National Heritage Memorial Fund- HSL 102

National Historic Ships – HSL 102

Update – 22 January 2012

Thanks to John Cook from the Coastal Motorboat Heritage Trust ,we have corrected what appears to be an error on this page.

This indicated that the boats were purchased with the help of a £1.8m grant from the National Heritage Memorial Fund.

This £1.8m figure was used in good faith and was from a National Heritage Memorial Fund - HSL 102 webpage that said:

Project Title: Purchase of Motor Gunboat 81 and High Speed Launch 102
Applicant: Portsmouth Naval Base property Trust
Location: Temple Newsam House, Temple Newsam House, Temple Newsam House, LEEDS, West Yorkshire, LS15 0AE
Region:
Grant awarded: £1,832,000

Further research appears to indicate that the grant awarded figure shown above  maybe wrong in this context.  The NHMF’s own accounts say on page eight -

Motor Gunboat 81 (MGB 81) and High-Speed Launch 102 (HSL 102)
Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust
£580,000

We will be approaching the National Heritage Memorial Fund over the next few days and ask for clarification as to the grant awarded figure of £1,832,000 as shown on their website.

Restoration of the wooden masts of Nelson’s flagship, HMS Victory, reached a milestone recently as the top sections were removed as part of a repair scheme that could take 18 months to complete.

With her topmasts down, Victory looks much as she did after the Battle of Trafalgar. Pic - Portsmouth Historic Dockyard

The work, at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, is being carried out by contractors and staff working for BAE Systems.

Bell Rigging have been overseeing the work as the ship’s three masts, bowsprit and rigging have all been dismantled over the summer.

The last time HMS Victory was seen without her top masts was back in 1944. For many visitors to the naval dockyard this is a once in a life time opportunity to see HMS Victory undergoing such extreme maintenance.

The National Museum of the Royal Navy’s Director General, Professor Dominic Tweddle said: “Watching the team painstakingly disassemble the rigging and masts of HMS Victory has been heart stopping at times!

“To do this intricate work, while still keeping Victory open to the public, has been a logistical masterpiece.

“Interestingly, with her topmasts are down, Victory will look much as she did after the Battle of Trafalgar when she had to be towed to Gibraltar for repairs.”

The mast project is only one part of a larger restoration scheme that could take ten years to complete.

Most of the highly skilled operation has been carried out by master shipwrights and other specialist staff employed by BAE Systems who, while operating on the cutting edge of technology on modern warships, maintain the age-old wooden shipbuilding skills.

John O Sullivan, BAE Systems Project Manager for HMS Victory, is in charge of the maintenance: “We have removed the upper sections of all three masts and bowsprit, booms, yards and spars, including 26 miles of associated rigging and 768 wooden blocks, some of which are 100 years old. We will then catalogue and document everything for future surveying, design and replacement.

When the rigging is replaced a decision will be made as to whether the wooden rope blocks can be re-used, recycled or replaced. Our team will carefully manage this major restoration project, keeping disruption to a minimum.”

Alongside the ship – still the flagship of the Second Sea Lord – in dry dock in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, the National Museum of the Royal Navy have opened a new interactive exhibition, Bones of Oak & Iron – Beneath Victory’s Skin, exploring how HMS Victory was originally built in 1759, how she was preserved and cared for in war and peace and the restoration process that will cover the next ten years.

The exhibition is FREE to enter.

Luxury cruise liner MS Deutschland has made a trial visit to London Docklands ahead of the 2012 London Olympics.

The largest ever known ship to visit London Docklands arrived in port in the early hours of Thursday, 14th July
of as part of a warm-up operation ahead of the 2012 Olympic Games.

MS Deutschland will host to the German Olympic Committee - Pic British Waterways

Arriving soon after midnight she berthed in South Quay, London Docklands ahead of a 36-hour visit to the capital.

The MS Deutschland is 175.3m long and has a 23m beam which made her arrival quite an impressive sight.

The historic West India Ship Lock is 178m in length and 24.4m wide, meaning there was just enough room to fit the vessel into the lock and bring her into the deep water berths of South Quay, at the heart of Canary Wharf, London’s leading financial district.

Following the trial-run, British Waterways has signed a deal to allow the cruise liner to berth in London Docklands
during summer 2012, when it will play host to the German Olympic Committee.

Luxury cruise liner MS Deutschland arrives in London Docklands, backwards.- Pic British Waterways

The liner will be joined by a selection of some of the world’s most exclusive super yachts along with tall ships and smaller leisure vessels.

Billy Smith, British Waterways’ dockmaster & tidal locks supervisor, said: “Bringing MS Deutschland into the Docks is a real achievement. The manoeuvre into the confined space of the lock shows how good planning, combined with the skill of the teams involved worked to ensure the berthing operation was successful.

“I have worked on the River Thames and in the Docks since 1962, and have lived on the Isle of Dogs for most of my life. This is the largest ship that I have ever seen navigate through the lock. To fit her in we use the high tides and insist she’s brought in stern first, an unusual and interesting operation for the river pilots and the captain.”

The ship will accommodate guests of the German Olympic Sports Confederation who has also announced that it will be using the Museum of London Docklands as ‘Deutsches Haus’ (Germany House) during the Games period.

The future of a Second World War submarine has been saved thanks to Heritage Lottery fund .

Staff and volunteers at the Royal Navy Submarine Museum now have a £3.4million confirmed award from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to help save HMS Alliance, the only surviving WW2 era submarine that is the memorial to 5,300 British Submariners.

Artist's illustration showing how the completed HMS Alliance is expected to look. Pic: Royal Navy Submarine Museum

Stuart McLeod, Head of HLF South East, said: “This Heritage Lottery Fund investment will help transform this unique heritage treasure meaning it will still be around for years to come.”

HMS Alliance is listed in the UK’s historic ship’s register, sitting alongside the Cutty Sark, the Mary Rose, and HMS Victory in the Core Collection list, and she is the only remaining WW II submarine in the UK that is open to the public.

Designed during the war for service in the Middle East, she was launched in 1945, as victory was achieved. She then began a distinguished 28 year career until she retired as the centrepiece of the Submarine Museum.

The project is the First Sea Lord’s top naval heritage priority, and for good reason. Exposed to sea water over cradles by the Museum quayside, the outer structure of HMS Alliance has corroded so badly that parts are literally in danger of falling into the sea below in a rusting process that has proved hard to arrest due to difficulties of access.

As well as the physical conservation, at the heart of the project is a new education programme and dynamic interpretation scheme which will bring Alliance ‘back to life’ for all visitors.

Improvements will include dressing the accommodation spaces to reflect the decades of Alliance’s service from the 1940’s through to the 1970’s with interactive soundscapes that reflect how the submarine looked and felt whilst on operation.

The Museum will also be taking the project to the local community with an outreach programme featuring a range of fun and engaging events.

It is hoped that volunteers will play an important role in all these activities as the project aims to clock up to 2,500 hours of volunteer time over its life span.

Vice Admiral Sir Tim McClement, Chairman of the Royal Navy Submarine Museum, said: “As the memorial to all the submariners who have fought and died in service, it is so important that she is saved and brought to life for future generations to have the opportunity to understand and learn about “the silent service” that has been in operation for over 100 years protecting our nation.”

HRH Prince William of Wales is the Royal Patron of the HMS Alliance Appeal that aims to raise the £6.5 million that the conservation work is budgeted to cost.

Over £5.8 million in funds and pledges has now been raised, including the £3.4 million award by the Heritage Lottery Fund. A further £1.5 million is required for a new Alliance gallery.

For more information on HMS Alliance and how you can get involved, contact the HMS Alliance Appeal Office on 023 9251 0354 ext 244, or visit www.submarine-museum.co.uk.

A campaign has been launched to save the former home of William Morris, the inventor of the Morris motorcar.

The National Trust hopes to raise £600,000 to secure the future of his house, Nuffield Place, and the many possessions within.

£600,000 need to be raised to save Nuffield Place

The Morris Motor Company was started in 1910 when bicycle manufacturer William Morris, later Lord Nuffield, turned his attention to cars.

Richard Henderson, National Trust General Manager, said: “Despite Lord Nuffield’s extraordinary philanthropy and achievements, he remains relatively unknown. His home is a wonderful time capsule without any of the ‘show’ of a multi-millionaire and reveals so much about the man who changed many people’s lives for the better.

Nuffield Place in Oxfordshire was his home from 1933 until his death in 1963.

Lord Nuffield is seen by many to be Britain’s greatest ever philanthropist. He gave away over £30 million (the equivalent of £11 billion in today’s money) to support education, hospitals and medical research. Many projects he funded continue to benefit millions of people around the world.

William Morris – the man

Lord-Nuffield-by-JH-John,-1927-by-kind-permission-of-the-Warden-and-Fellows-of-Nuffield-College,-Oxford

William Morris was born on 10 October 1877 in Worcester and moved to Oxford with his family when he was three.

He left school at 15 and a year later, with £4 capital, he began his own business making and repairing bicycles.

In 1903, he married Elizabeth Anstey, the daughter of an Oxford farrier.

William Morris was one of the first British industrialists to introduce mass production methods, spotting the market for quality-made, small and economical cars.

By 1925 production was booming, 56,000 cars a year were rolling off the production line and Morris cars became famous around the world.

From 1928, sporting versions of the Morris Cowley and the Morris Oxford were sold as ‘MGs’, a marque distinct from the ‘Morris’.

By 1937, Morris Motors Ltd. became the largest motor manufacturer in Europe.

In 1934, a year after moving to Nuffield Place, Morris was made a Baron, and four years later, a Viscount. He took the name of Nuffield, the Oxfordshire village where he had settled and played a major role in organising industry in the Second World War.

Despite his great wealth, Lord Nuffield remained personally frugal. He had no children and, as his fortune grew, he became increasingly aware of the contribution he could make to relieve suffering in a pre-welfare state.

He founded the Nuffield Foundation in 1943 with an endowment of £10 million in order to advance education and social welfare, and also founded Nuffield College, Oxford.

Lord Nuffield died on 22 August 1963, four years after the death of his wife.

Nuffield Place – the history

Nuffield Place is set high in the Chilterns, near Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire.

The house was built in 1914 and was designed by Oswald Partridge Milne, a pupil of architect Sir Edwin Lutyens.

Originally called Merrow Mount, Lord Nuffield re-named it Nuffield Place.

Over the years a number of alterations have been carried out.  The sitting-room and dining-room  have both been enlarged and a of a billiard-room has been added. However, the house still retains the discernible style of Lutyens.

Nuffield Place - Drawing-room, credit NTPL-John Hammond

Left almost exactly as it was when Lord Nuffield died, the house and its contents are a revealing and intimate glimpse into the character, interests and life of one of the world’s greatest entrepreneurs and benefactors, yet a man who remains relatively unknown today.

The house is also a rare survival of a complete, upper-middle class home of the 1930s. It retains the majority of the furniture and contents acquired by Lord and Lady Nuffield when they took up residence, as well as having several rooms still decorated in the 1930s style.

Lord Nuffield had a great interest in clocks and there are several long case, wall and mantle clocks around the house.

Hidden behind cupboard doors in his bedroom is a miniature workshop with a collection of hand tools. It was here that he would relieve nights of insomnia by doing delicate metal work.

When Lord Nuffield died  he left the house to Nuffield College, Oxford, which has owned it ever since.

Since 1977, the house has been open to the public by volunteers for very limited times between May and September.

The Friends of Nuffield Place, a registered charity, was formed twenty years ago, with the active support of Nuffield College, to promote Nuffield Place as an important piece of 20th century history

Nuffield Place -The Hall, credit NTPL-John Hammond

Kevin Minns, Chairman of the Friends of Nuffield Place and great great nephew of Lord Nuffield said: “This wonderfully generous offer from Nuffield College has given the National Trust the opportunity to preserve the legacy of William Morris, Lord Nuffield and save Nuffield Place once and for all.”

Nuffield Place – the future

As an academic institution, Nuffield College has decided that it is not equipped to manage the property and maximise its opportunities.

So it has offered it to the nation through the National Trust. However, in order to open to the public, and secure its future, the Trust needs to raise £600,000.

The Trustees of the National Trust have agreed to the funding for an endowment to run Nuffield Place provided the property can begin to pay for itself as a successful attraction within five years.

To make a donation to the appeal and to enable the National Trust to open Nuffield Place to the public, visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/savenuffieldplace or telephone 0844 800 1895.

The local heritage of a Northumbrian village can now be told, following the opening of a micro-museum.

Contained within a restored Victorian railway station near Haydon Bridge, Northumberland the new museum will use local knowledge to tell the story of an industrial past.

The North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) Partnership, contributed £1000 towards the project.

The Garden Station now features a micro-museum Pic Mike Winstanley

The micro-museum, also known as the history room, shares the story of Langley’s industrial past.

Mike Winstanley, owner of the Garden Station, said: “Visitors always ask me lots of questions about the Hexham to Allendale Railway, the Langley Smelt Mill, flue and chimney and other local heritage. Creating the history room has allowed me to share this local information and provide a tribute to the industrial workers of Langley.”

The Garden Station is a restored wooden Victorian railway station with café, gardens and woodland walks in Langley near Haydon Bridge in the north of the AONB.

Mr Winstanley is a former teacher turned restaurateur. He bought the business in March 2008.

Mr. Winstanley would love to hear from anyone with photos, stories and items relating to Langley’s past. He said: “This is a work in progress and a group effort. We know there are more remarkable tales out there and we want to help people share them.”

Grants available

Simon Wilson, Project Development Officer with the North Pennines AONB Partnership said: “The micro-museum’s aims compliment the AONB Partnership’s; to help people discover, enjoy and understand the local landscape and its natural and cultural features.”

The AONB Partnership invites people to come forward with innovative project ideas based within or benefiting the North Pennines AONB. If they support the environmental, social and economic prosperity of the area they could be eligible for funding of between £300 and £1,000.

For more information about the AONB Partnership’s grants scheme contact the Staff Unit on 01388 528801 (info@northpenninesaonb.org.uk) or visit www.northpennines.org.uk

Taking up a large area of Carlisle airport, the 28th Hethersgill vintage rally brings together thousands of mechanical items and curios from all over the UK.

Trucks from many generations line up in the bright sunshine

As a strong breeze whistled across the show site, many steam engines and other vehicles were on show.

Hundreds of cars and other vehicles also lined up, creating quite a spectacle in the bright sunshine.

To one end of the show field, the auction of goods takes place.  Everything from a spanner to road cones and oil lamps go under the auctioneers hammer.

A collection of drinking memorabilia, on show in the big marquee

In the big white marquee a number of stalls and a stage have been erected.

Shielded from the weather, a number of personal collections are on display.

Alan Head, famous all over Cumbria for his assorted collections, has brought along a display of  shaving equipment.

Bare blade razors, shaving mugs and blade sharpeners all get the male visitors stroking their chins wondering about the good old days before the safety razor.

On another table, a collection of drip mats and assorted drinking related items were on display.  This collection included an old glass bottle from the Maryport Brewery.

Hethersgill Vintage Club

The Hethersgill Vintage Club was formed in 1983 and meets in the Longtown Memorial Hall throughout the summer and autumn months.

Anyone wishing to join the club can do so for only £2.50 per year.  This has to be one of the lowest membership charges in the country.

Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling

Sunday, 1 May 2011 also saw the start of the 2011 Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling season.

The first events took place at the Hethersgill Vintage Rally from 12.30.

Classes included U12/U15/U18/Girls/8st/12½/AW.

Hethersgill Vintage Rally – video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yiVjtHhMuU

Just outside Pooley Bridge and on the junction between Penrith and Tirrel is this unusual fingerpost with a crown on top.

Fingerpost sign just outside of Pooley Bridge in North Cumbria

Often to be found at junctions of old country lanes, the fingerpost  sign has become one of those things to have near any rural community along with the traditional red telephone box.

It is thought that the earliest known example of a fingerpost, is a post from 1699 near Chipping Campden in the  Cotswolds.  A replica of Joseph Izod’s fingerpost is located on the A44 at the junction with the B4081.

Fingerpost history

The General Turnpike Act 1773 required trustees to erect signs informing travellers of the distance to the nearest town.

Many of the earliest signs were erected by the Automobile Association (AA) and the Royal Automobile Club (RAC).

The Motor Car Act 1903  passed responsibility for the provision of all traffic signs to local authorities.

In 1921 the Ministry of Transport produced a manual for direction signs.

It recommended: -

• Standard 2.5 or 3-inch black upper case lettering on a white background,
• That the name of the authority responsible for maintenance should be included in the design,
• The supporting posts were to be white.

These requirements were set down in regulations in 1933 however with a slightly modified character set and paint scheme. This saw the introduction of black and white posts.

Crown on top of fingerpost road sign

Some local variations have taken place over the years to the official regulations.

In Dorset, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall the posts are red with white lettering.

Many posts also carry finials in the form of discs, rings, balls and pyramids marked with county names and sometimes map grid references.

The reason for the crown on top the sign near Pooley Bridge however is unclear.

Do you know the reason for a crown on this fingerpost?  Let us know via the comments area below.

Winter maintenance almost completed Raven emerges from metal cladding to face another summer afloat on Ullswater.

Raven is operated by Ullswater 'Steamers'

Maintenance takes place on flat land near to the Pooley Bridge pier.

Vessels are floated onto wheeled chariots, before being pulled free from the water along railway tracks leading to the service yard.

Metal cladding surrounding the site has protected the vessel from the harsh weather allowing work, including the painting and cleaning of the hull, to be completed.

Launched on the 11th ( or was it the 16th) July 1889, Raven is named after the country home of the then company director, WH Parkin.

In 1912 Raven became a temporary royal yacht to mark the visit of the German Kaiser, Wilhelm II to Lowther Castle, home to the ‘Yellow Earl’ – Lord Lonsdale. Her decks were painted yellow to mark the occasion.

Cummings engines now power Raven and her sister ship ‘Lady of the Lake’.

Her cruising speed is around 10 knots (12mph).

Raven is operated, along with Lady of the Lake, Lady Dorothy and Lady Wakefield by Ullswater Steamers.

During 2011 the fleet will be officially joined by Western Belle .

Western Belle was built in 1935 and entered service on the river Tamar in 1936. Following restoration work on the Wirral she arrived on Ullswater in 2010.

An adult single fare for 2011 between Glenridding and Pooley Bridge, or vice versa costs £8. Other fares and discounts are available.

A small charge is made for dogs and cycles.

Raven emerges from a metal cocoon

Restoration following floods

Damage caused during the 2009 floods gave Ullswater ‘Steamers’ a chance to upgrade facilities at the Glenridding pier.

Concrete lined internal walls and insulation below the floor should help reduce any damage caused by any future flood risk.

Special energy efficient glass and power saving lighting has also been installed ahead of the new tourist season.

Ullswater

Ullswater is the second largest body of water in the Lake District, being approximately 7.5 miles (12km) long and 0.5 miles (0.8km) wide, with a maximum depth of approximately 205ft (62m).

Donald Campbell broke the world speed record on Ullswater on the 23rd July, 1955

Gallery

The Speaker’s State Coach, last used at the Royal Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer in 1981, is to go on display in Devon.

Valerie Kaufmann, Senior Conservator for Plowden & Smith, inspects the Speakers State Coach at Arlington Court. Pic National Trust/Claire Bolitho

A symbol of the power and status of the Speaker of the House of Commons, the coach has been in use for state occasions since the early 18th century.

The loan of the coach by the House of Commons is the first in a series of exhibitions around the country where it can be seen and enjoyed by the public.

The coach will be the star attraction at Arlington Court’s Carriage Museum, near Bideford, which houses a collection of historic British carriages and coaches that were used for every occasion.

Speaker’s State Coach history

It is believed that the painted and gilded coach was made in 1698 for King William III. It was presented to the Speaker a few years later by Queen Anne.

Last used by Speaker Thomas in 1981, the coach was then displayed at various venues in London before being removed for conservation work to begin.

The conservation now complete, the original and vibrant beauty and colours of the unique coach can be appreciated once more.

John Bercow, Speaker of the House of Commons, said: “The state coach is a magnificent example of an early 18th century carriage and an important piece of the United Kingdom’s parliamentary heritage. Therefore I am delighted that now it no longer has any practical role in parliamentary life it can be passed into the care of the National Trust and viewed by as wide an audience as possible”.

The Speaker’s State Coach will go on display at Arlington Court, near Barnstaple, Devon, from Saturday 12 March.

For opening times and further information visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk or telephone 01271 850296.

Gallery: Speaker’s State Coach